Gut-wrenching pictures and video documented the beginning of the end for the Arecibo Observatory, one of the world’s most iconic telescopes. Source: https://www.livescience.com/arecibo-observatory-radio-telescope-collapse-photos.html
Tag: COLLAPSE
Arecibo telescope receiver platform crashes onto dish
The telescope has been inoperable since mid-November, when multiple engineering companies reported that safety in and around it could not be guaranteed. Now their fears have come to pass. No one was injured. Source: https://earthsky.org/human-world/arecibo-telescope-receiver-platform-crashes-onto-dish…
A planet-forming disk still fed by the mother cloud
Stellar systems like our own form inside interstellar clouds of gas and dust that collapse producing young stars surrounded by protoplanetary disks. Planets form within these protoplanetary disks, leaving clear gaps, which have been recently observed in evolved systems, at the time when the mother cloud has been cleared out. ALMA has now revealed an evolved protoplanetary disk with a large…
NSF says Arecibo telescope will be dismantled
Heartbreaking news. After 57 years as a world-class resource for astronomy, the iconic Arecibo telescope is to be decommissioned, or withdrawn from service, the NSF announced today. The dish-type radio telescope – built into a natural depression in the landscape in Puerto Rico – appears to be headed for a “controlled disassembly.” Source: https://earthsky.org/space/arecibo-telescope-to-be-decommissioned…
Creating chaos: Craters and collapse on Mars
Elevation can be deceiving in satellite imagery of Mars, even when differences are extreme—as demonstrated by this image of Pyrrhae Regio from ESA’s Mars Express. A chunk of terrain has collapsed and dropped more than four kilometers below its surroundings, illustrating the incredible contrast and dynamism seen across the martian surface. Source: https://phys.org/news/2020-11-chaos-craters-collapse-mars.html…
Does Jupiter’s moon Europa have geysers? If so, what’s their source?
If watery plumes do burst from Europa’s surface, they might originate not in the moon’s underground ocean, but instead in pockets of brine trapped in the moon’s crust. If that’s so, it could be a source of frustration for those who want to probe Europa’s ocean for possible life. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/jupiter-moon-europa-plumes-salty-water-in-crust…
A statement on Arecibo Observatory’s engineering options
Worrisome news regarding broken cables and engineering options at Arecibo Observatory, the iconic big radio dish in Puerto Rico. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/arecibo-observatory-broken-cables-aug-nov-options…
Cable failures endanger renowned Puerto Rico radio telescope
Giant, aging cables that support one of the world’s largest single-dish radio telescopes are slowly unraveling in this U.S. territory, pushing an observatory renowned for its key role in astronomical discoveries to the brink of collapse. Source: https://phys.org/news/2020-11-cable-failures-endanger-renowned-puerto.html…
What is a supernova?
A supernova is a star’s colossal explosion at the end of its life, potentially outshining its entire galaxy. Read about the causes and types of supernovae here. Source: https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/definition-what-is-a-supernova…
Powerful earthquake strikes off Turkey’s coast, killing at least 14
The earthquake caused the collapse of nearly 20 buildings in the city of Izmir. Search and rescue efforts are underway beneath the rubble. Source: https://www.livescience.com/earthquake-izmir-aegean-sea.html